Health Affairs, 23, no. 2 (2004): 25-27 doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.23.2.25 © 2004 by Project HOPE	New Online   Pay Cuts For Medicare Docs   Access To Care Woes   Public Coverage More Efficient   Empowering Consumers

This Article Full Text (HTML) Reprint (PDF) Submit a response to this article Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services E-mail this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to My Personal Archive Download to Citation Manager Reprints & Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (6) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Enthoven, A. C. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Enthoven, A. C. Related Collections Business Of Health Health Reform Insurance - Employer-Based System Managed Competition Health Spending

Health Reform

PERSPECTIVE

Market Forces And Efficient Health Care Systems

The "market forces" to which economists ascribe the ability to motivate improvement in quality and efficiency are largely nonexistent in U.S. health care. One thus might ask, "Could market forces be made strong enough to deliver efficient health care systems?" There is some evidence to suggest that the answer is "Yes." This paper offers a short list of some changes that would be needed to create such a health care economy. Continued increases in costs and in the numbers of uninsured people will likely make a universal coverage model based on Medicare a politically popular choice, but such a model would not deliver efficient health care systems because it lacks sufficient incentives for consumers to choose less costly options.

                      What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				R. A. Berenson Which Way For Competition? None Of The Above Health Aff., November 1, 2005; 24(6): 1536 - 1542. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]